My friend has an orange tree that is producing a lot of oranges right now. So, she shared them with me. What do you do with that many oranges (I mean, other than the obvious of just eating them)? So, I did a little research and some thinking and here my list of some interesting things to do with oranges. This could also be used for lemons, limes, or grapefruits.
Fresh home grown oranges
Food
Put a bunch of orange slices in a pitcher, top off with white wine, leave it in the fridge overnight, and you’ve got a pitcher full of citrus sangria.
Put some orange slices in a vinegar bottle to make citrusy vinegar for salads
Substitute orange juice for a portion of the vinegar in a salad dressing- a great way to add a slightly sweet flavor and to balance the taste of the vinegar.
Limoncello but with oranges to make orangcello
Orange muffins with orange cream-cheese frosting
Lemon curd but with oranges to make orange curd
Stuff a dried date with a piece of orange peel and almond, then dip the entire thing into dark chocolate.
Prepare oatmeal with orange juice instead of water: top cooked oatmeal with orange juice rather than butter or cream to get great flavor and no added fat.
When making your favorite pancake or waffle batter, substitute orange juice for the water, milk or buttermilk in the recipe- this will give the pancakes a great flavor and pack far more vitamin C.
Freeze the freshly squeezed juice
Make juice out of the oranges and then use the peels for Candied Orange Peels.
Use the leftover syrup from Candied Orange Peels on pancakes or French Toast. The syrup can also be used to make popsicles.
Wash peels thoroughly. Grate the peel before using and freeze the zest for later use.
Cut up slices and use a garnish for meat or relish dishes.
Make a lemon or orange infused tea- boil lemon or orange rinds and then throw in a tea bag. Let the bag steep as long as you like and enjoy!
Oranges with honey
Slice oranges in half, and put the halves in a baking dish. Drizzle a generous amount of honey over them and sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon. Bake in a 350° F oven just long enough to heat them (5-10 mins). Take out of the oven, place in a bowl, and eat with a spoon. Soothing and healing if you have a cold or a sore throat.
Orange Marmalade
1 orange- if a non-organic orange is used wash peels thoroughly before peeling.
1 Tbsp. water
½ cup sugar
Cut the un-peeled orange and place into a blender or food processor with the water. Pour mixture into a saucepan with the sugar and boil for 15 minutes.
Candied Orange Peel
6 thick-skinned oranges -if non-organic fruit is used wash peels thoroughly before peeling.
4 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling
1 1/2 cups water
Cut tops and bottoms off the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces, use the orange for another recipe. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending on how assertive you want the orange peels to be (3 blanches will mellow to rind’s bitterness quite a bit). Remove the orange peels from the pan.
Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes (If you took the sugar’s temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the peels, (save the syrup for ice tea). Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Return to the sugar to store.
Household:
Cut up peels. In a saucepan add peels, 1 cinnamon stick, a few cloves and fill to the top with water. Simmer for a nice potpourri or dry peels and use in dry potpourri.
Clean your microwave- Place the empty hulls in a bowl of water and microwave for about fives minutes. Then wipe the microwave clean with a towel.
Clean your cutting board and sink- Rub the empty hull across your cutting board to deodorize and disinfect. Do the same with the hull in your sink.
Clean your pans and tea kettle- you may want to do this before making tea. Boil the rinds in your kettle or a pan that has burnt on stuff stuck to it. Let is sit for up to an hour to really soak in, and watch all the grime come right off!
Thanks for the oranges, Amy!
January 5, 2010 @ 3:34 pm
How about donating the excess oranges to a food bank?
January 5, 2010 @ 3:54 pm
Another great idea, Mary. thanks.
January 6, 2010 @ 5:02 pm
Hi Mary,
I have oranges outside too! Are you a California girl? Maybe Florida-I noticed the Florida Dept. of Citrus listed above? I have thought about making candied orange peels, but it sounds like a lot of work. Have you made any lately?
January 23, 2010 @ 2:22 pm
Hi, Cam.
I’m going to be making a couple things to use us the leftover eggnog in my fridge this week. Hopefully I’ll get to post them soon. Thanks again, Debi!
My name is actually Debi. Mary had written something and I was thanking her. Thanks for reading my posts. I like your recipe for citrus scented brownies- sounds delish! http://easyschmeasyrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/it-is-orange-season-and-ive-recently.html I am a Cali-girl. Born and raised. I think the candied orange peels are time consuming, but not difficult. Give them a try!
January 25, 2010 @ 12:48 pm
[...] and tomatoes, and give them to my neighbors. I’ve already written about how my fabulous neighbor, Amy, gives me oranges. There’s another woman down the street who has a lemon tree. She gives me lemons all the time. [...]
February 4, 2010 @ 6:35 pm